Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Hillsdale College Expands Classical Liberal Arts Curriculum

  • 03/07/17

HILLSDALE, MI – Hillsdale College announces the addition of a new course, "Classical Logic and Rhetoric," to the core curriculum required for all graduates. The new course will be fully implemented in fall 2017.

"Logic and rhetoric were absolutely essential elements of intellectual development in the West until about 150 years ago," says Dr. David Whalen, Hillsdale College provost. "The addition of this course to our core classical liberal arts curriculum is an attempt to recover a part of higher education that has been lost in recent history."

Students will read texts from Plato, Aristotle, Cicero and Quintillian, as well as modern pieces dealing with the rhetoric of literature, science, economics, and more. Dr. Kirstin Kiledal, professor of rhetoric and public address, and Dr. Jeffrey Lehman, associate professor of education, designed the course.

"It's going to remind us that we're all rhetoricians," says Kiledal. "Whether we are scientists, mathematicians, or teachers, we all have to communicate, all have to persuade."

The core curriculum is an essential part of the classical liberal arts education offered at Hillsdale College, and vital to a robust college experience. During most of the first two years, each student is immersed in the study of history, politics, the sciences, fine arts, literature, and economics. Hillsdale is also one of the few colleges in the country to require every student to take a course on the U.S. Constitution.

"The core curriculum at Hillsdale gives our students a rich and full understanding of the things worth knowing," adds Dr. Whalen. "It helps develop a disciplined and informed mind in order to live a naturally good life. This course is a fitting contribution to that core."

For more information on Hillsdale College's core curriculum and its benefits, visit www.hillsdale.edu.

About Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College, founded in 1844, has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an educational outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 3.5 million.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.